It is well known to provide an arm rest for a motor vehicle door wherein the arm rest is integrated into a decorative door trim panel assembly mounted on the inner panel of the door.
The arm rest in such a door panel is strong enough to support the weight of an arm thereon and also to allow the arm rest to function as a door pull when an occupant pulls on the arm rest to close the door. Often the arm rest includes a recess to allow the arm rest to function as a door pull. It is also well known to provide an arm rest that collapses laterally in the horizontal direction upon imposition of a large horizontally directed force which can be exerted during a collision impact against the arm rest. The collapsing arm rest absorbs energy and provides for a flatter contour against the occupant.
It has become known that people also use the arm rest as a step. People commonly stand on the arm rest for various purposes, e.g. reaching onto the roof of the vehicle. This is particularly common for larger and taller vehicles such as trucks for semi-trailers or large vans. When the arm rest has a flat horizontally extending upper surface, the tendency to use the arm rest as a step is further promoted. The arm rests that are integrally formed with the decorative inner door trim panel must therefore be designed and structured to take the weight of a person, otherwise the door trim panel may be damaged while a person is standing on the arm rest.
What is needed is an arm rest that can be used as a step that supports the weight of a person when a person is standing on the arm rest while permitting energy absorbing collapse of the arm rest upon the exertion of large horizontally directed forces.